2015.10.23 GIFC vs HGFC Match Preview

It will be a clash of the bottom two teams in the S.League table when Hougang United visits Geylang International at Jalan Besar Stadium this Friday, the 23th of October. A win will give the Cheetahs a five point buffer from the wooden spoon spot while a loss will see them being overtaken by the Eagles, who also have a game in hand.

Both sides will be heading into the match on the back of consecutive defeats. For Hougang United, a 1:0 loss to Tampines Rovers was followed by a 1:2 loss to Brunei DPMM while Geylang International saw a 2:0 loss to Harimau Muda followed by a 1:4 loss to Tampines Rovers. While the Cheetahs have now gone five games without a win, the Eagles have been on a longer bad streak. In their past 13 games in all competition, they have won only twice. In the league alone, they have won only once in their last 12 games. The last time the two sides faced each other in the competition, Geylang International were in the 7th place and Hougang United in 10th.

Despite their poor form, the Eagles do not have an issue upfront. They have scored 11 goals in their last 9 games; 6 in their last 4. In Bruno Castanheira and Jozef Kaplan, they have two reliable forwards who have each hit double figures in all competition – 14 and 12 goals respectively. Geylang International’s bad run have largely been due to a leaking defence. Of the 48 goals they have conceded across 28 games in all competition this season, 30 of those goals have came in their last 13 games. 18 in their last 7 games. 10 in their last 4 games. However one looks at it, there’s clearly a problem somewhere at their back.

And on the face of it, that vulnerable defence would make them ideal opponents for a Hougang United side that has been struggling to score goals. Five different players have scored for the Eagles in their past five games. By contrast, only Nurhilmi Jasni and Vuk Sotirovic have done so for the Cheetahs in their past five games. Sotirovic had gone four games without finding the net before doing so in the 1:2 defeat to Brunei DPMM. That goal tied him with centreback Kunihiro Yamashita as the Cheetahs’ joint top scorers with 6 goals each. Diego Gama, who has not scored in 7 games, has a good reason to look forward to playing the Eagles – the last time the two sides met, he scored a brace.

On the flipside, Geylang International could see a misfiring Hougang United as an ideal opponent to get their first clean sheet in eight games. There is certainly no shortage of motivation for either side to get a good result and the game should prove to be an exciting fixture.